Writing Technique: The Zoom

Writing (and reading) is something we are taught when we are children, just like we learn how to walk or dance. Being a writer is no different from being a professional dancer: creative (and technical) writing is a skill that must be honed with a lot of reading, passion, and hard work.

A book or a poem is certainly not only its plot: style is what allows an author to find their own voice, and different techniques can be used for different purposes. Excellent literature flows like music, so rhythm is a key component to any good piece of writing.

In my novel, Julia Dream, I used a technique that I called “the Zoom” to highlight the paragraphs where I wanted to add drama and acceleration. While the entire story is narrated in the past, in the third person, like an observer following the action like a camera, at particular moments I will switch the tense to the present to “zoom into” a character to show what they are feeling. I also use this technique during action scenes to give a sense of acceleration.